Former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken announced this week that he would be running for congress in his home state of North Carolina. In his first official campaign video, Aiken said he wanted to represent those who would not otherwise have a voice.
In his campaign announcement message, Clay Aiken spoke about the abuse his mother suffered at the hands of his father. Filmed in the house his mother escaped to with him as a child, Aiken said his life really began “on the floor of a living room in a small North Carolina home, where my mother and I only had each other.”
Aiken said he is “not a politician, I don’t ever want to be one. But I do want to help bring back… the idea that someone can go to Washington to represent all the people, whether they voted for you or not.”
If he is going to make it to congress, the former American Idol and Celebrity Apprentice star has a tough road ahead. Not only is he running against incumbent tea party representative Renee Ellmers, he is also facing several other Democratic candidates in the primary as well.